what is haylage like

GERMAN ROCKS

is haylage anygood as a substitute for silage to feed to weanlings? why do people make this instead of silage?

pakalasa

It looks like hay, but it has the sweet smell of silage. Cows seem to love it. I think it's aimed more at horses as it has no dust in it and easier to make than hay in our damp climate. I think a lot of it was intended as hay, but the rain comes and they bale it up then and sell it as haylage, even though it has gone over it's ideal time for baling as haylage.

KatyMac

My silage is usually haylage. the cattle love it and I find the bales don't seem to be as heavy to work with. Beasts do well on it IMO

Richk2012

If the cattle are in straw bedded sheds , a lot less straw used as cattle aren't as loose in the dung .
Feed it to the sheep . They go mad for it

Bizzum

GERMAN ROCKS wrote: »

is haylage anygood as a substitute for silage to feed to weanlings? why do people make this instead of silage?

I think Pak covered most bases, another reason might be if your tractor is on the small size it will handle the haylage a lot easier.

jomoloney

Richk2012 wrote: »

If the cattle are in straw bedded sheds , a lot less straw used as cattle aren't as loose in the dung .
Feed it to the sheep . They go mad for it

that's interesting

2 of my neighbours commented that the dung was actually was actually looser on haylage

thought it strange but they reckoned they drank more water

Bodacious

KatyMac wrote: »

My silage is usually haylage. the cattle love it and I find the bales don't seem to be as heavy to work with. Beasts do well on it IMO

+1

less moisture = less bales = less money to silage contactor

Bactidiaryl

Bodacious wrote: »

+1

less moisture = less bales = less money to silage contactor

= less plastic = less drawing = less feeding out

Farmer Pudsey

The advantage with bale silage is that you can wilt the product as opposed to pit. Some silage contractors want to cut and gather within 24 hours and if booked and they can get away with it they do not care if it pours rain while doing it.

Sometimes I get haylage as if the weather is very hot and it is down 24 hours longer it will be very dry. The main disadvantage any hole and you will have mould. Some of the so called haylage in Ireland is actually usually hay that cannot be saved after 7-10 days and is wrapped up. This is a ****e product good haylage is around 60%Dm however it would not have the feed value of good silage between 25-35%DM

larrymiller

Bactidiaryl wrote: »

= less plastic = less drawing = less feeding out

Haylage needs more plastic if I remember correctly?

freedominacup

Farmer Pudsey wrote: »

The advantage with bale silage is that you can wilt the product as opposed to pit.

I don't understand that sentence at all

bogman_bass

but less bales means you use less per acre

pakalasa

With haylage you run the risk of blue mould. This is lethal as it causes listeriosis. Most contractors put on about 50% more wrap to prevent puntures in the plastic. Wetter silage tends to form dung at a punture sire and kind of seals the area better. With drier silage, the damage can go a lot deeper into the bale and give more waste. My contractor says he uses 21 wraps for haylage and 16 for regular silage.

PatQfarmer

larrymiller wrote: »

Haylage needs more plastic if I remember correctly?

We used to make lots of haylage when we had loss-making horses.
Now we have loss-making cattle only:D
Ideal for calves. it is cleaner to handle than silage and a large square will stay fresh for 5/6 days if opened and kept out of sunlight.
Agree that in straw sheds, the cattle stay much drier on it, so easier all round.
MUST be double-wrapped, otherwise a waste of time.

Farmer Pudsey

freedominacup wrote: »

I don't understand that sentence at all

When silage contractors cut silage for smaller farmers they often will not allow the cut silage to wilt. So it is often cut this evening and gathered in the morning. This often means that the product is a low DM feed compared to baled silage which you tend as a smaller farmer to have more control over.

freedominacup

Farmer Pudsey wrote: »

When silage contractors cut silage for smaller farmers they often will not allow the cut silage to wilt. So it is often cut this evening and gathered in the morning. This often means that the product is a low DM feed compared to baled silage which you tend as a smaller farmer to have more control over.

Change contractors. TBH the main bale contractor around here has a large fusion on an almost 200hp tractor. He's picking up after a rake as big as any SP harvester and going through damn nearly as much/hour. Bales are as dry as any other contractors. You are paying the bill remember who's in charge.

Farmer Pudsey

freedominacup wrote: »

Change contractors. TBH the main bale contractor around here has a large fusion on an almost 200hp tractor. He's picking up after a rake as big as any SP harvester and going through damn nearly as much/hour. Bales are as dry as any other contractors. You are paying the bill remember who's in charge.

I do not use them but from what I see of other farmers there are only a couple coming into the area. If you wish to use them you are dependant on when they come in to do either a big cut for someone or else they will want a half dozen small guys. If it is raining tough. So I do not bother. The other reason is I do not cut all my silage at once I have hybrids that I cut about 3 times a few paddocks that I cut once and about 5 acre of arable silage. Sometimes the arable and second cut come in togeather. This also allows that I only close about 1/3 of the farm for silage as opposed to about half.